


A Change of Heart

by Luciole77



Category: Samurai Deeper Kyo
Genre: College, Drama, F/M, Multi, change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2017-12-08 20:41:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/765801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luciole77/pseuds/Luciole77
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in modern times.  Kyo and the gang are enrolled in college and a pair of new students begin causing trouble for a few of the friends.  Things begin to change as Hotaru and Kyo realize there is more to life than what they originally thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And so it began

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Samurai Deeper Kyo or any of it's characters. The OC Suzaku is my own creation and does belong to me.

It was the beginning of fall term at the University. Students had been flooding the campus since early morning, some secure in knowing where they were going, others looking like frightened bunnies as they took in their first day of college. Kyo, Hotaru and Bon had just emerged from their second class of the day and were intent on finding the rest of their group and then, hopefully, a rather pleasant lunch.

"Ah, where are they?" Kyo huffed. He looked around the small garden behind the Arts building, the groups usual meeting spot, but spied no one he was looking for.

Bon and Hotaru simply shrugged their shoulders and continued to stretch out in the grass. The weather was marvelous today. Blue sky, warm sun, the grass was still green...it felt far from fall. Both Hotaru and Bon were contemplating this fact in their own way, Hotaru by internally complaining that there were no clouds to look at and Bon by closing his eyes and simply enjoying the sensation of sun on his face. He knew within weeks fall would truly settle in and it would be nothing but rain until it turned cold enough to snow. A rustling sound from his left caught his attention and he slowly turned his head and opened his eyes. Only a few yards away, sitting in the corner of the garden at a small table, was one of the most unusual things he had ever seen. Said thing was a girl, that was not the unusual part. The unusual part was her hair, it was almost blood red and reached nearly to her rear end. It was almost identical to Kyo's hair, and this is why Bon thought it so unusual.

"Eh, Kyo..." He semi-whispered, "Take a look in the corner there..."

Kyo looked, didn't care and then looked again...was that...his hair? As he watched a second girl came bouncing up, blonde hair flying behind her, and perched at the table with the red head. This new girl was somehow like a cartoon, her actions were animated and happy and the smile on her face was down right infectious. Kyo caught himself as he started to smile and quickly wiped that look off his face...what in hell's name was that about? However, now he was curious, so he concentrated a little more on the girl to hear what she was saying.

"Suzu, you will not believe the day I've had!" Gushed the blonde as she undid her hair ribbon. Her hair fell free and immediately started dancing with the slight breeze.

The red head looked up, dead pan, "Yuya, my name is not "Suzu". It's Suzaku. Act like you are in college and forego the childhood nick names please." 

Her voice was low, even and Kyo immediately liked her. She actually sounded a lot like him, however, his gaze kept returning to the blonde, Yuya. Hotaru had sat up by now and turned his attention the pair as well, having hear Suzaku's voice. It was like hearing Kyo, if Kyo had been a girl...heck she even had the same hair. Having expended so much energy on this thought, Hotaru collapsed back to the ground, thinking was exhausting.

At that moment, a group of three entered the garden and headed straight for Kyo and the others. Kyo looking up, sighed in frustration, "Took them long enough." He thought.

Akira, Shinrei and Mahiro gathered around and made themselves comfortable. For Shinrei this act included kicking Hotaru upside the head. Hotaru declined to be baited and merely ignored him, which he considered very unsatisfying.

"Sorry we're late, someone had to talk to the "annoyance"." Akira said, shooting Mahiro a look.

"Tora is not an annoyance." She replied smoothly, "You, however, are. Now...to business. Where are we eating? It better be good...I've not had breakfast."

"I say Benny's." Shinrei voiced.

No one had any objections, so they all headed in the direction of the little cafe that was situated only a block off campus. As they left, Kyo stole one more look at the blonde in the corner, she was still chatting away to what appeared to be a female him.


	2. A spark of interest

<p>Kyo turned his head to the left for a second time, yep, she was in his English 212 class. How was she in his English 212 class? He'd never seen her before, and this was an upper level class, she must have transferred from somewhere. She had not looked up from her text book yet and he wondered what it was she found so interesting in it. At that moment Professor Muramasa walked in, he greeted them warmly and began his lecture. Kyo didn't even open his book, he did not take notes, he simply listened. That was enough for Kyo, he had never taken notes...he remembered everything. Class wound on, Muramasa was now in his "Question and Answer" phase of the lecture and several students had queries. Kyo glanced over at the red head to his left, who was still staring at her book. What was she reading? More importantly, how was he going to talk with her? His main target was not really her, it was the blonde. However, Kyo was Kyo and he was never going to just walk up to said blonde, whom he had never met before, and start a conversation. That was not his style. No, he needed to get in with the red head...she was more his type...then he could work his way to the blonde. It took a few seconds for his thoughts to catch up to him and for him to mentally smack himself as he wondered what in hell's name was he doing? He was NOT planning on chasing after some bubbly blonde...was he?

"Mibu Kyo..." Muramasa's voice finally reached his ears.

He smoothly turned to look at his professor, "Yes?"

"I will need to see you after class." The professor stated, and then resumed his lecture. Muramasa had not missed Kyo's inattention. He found it very unlike his student (and son) to not pay attention, in his own way. Kyo's way of paying attention was usually to stare at the ceiling, not at a girl. Muramasa had also not missed the similarities in the girl as opposed to his son. He wondered idly if Kyo would finally break his habit of solitude and seek out a partner. He finished his lecture, gave the class the assignments for the week and retreated to his office to wait on Kyo. He did not have to wait long.

"What is it, old man?" Kyo droned as he leaned against the office door. His red hair obscured his eyes, however a smirk was seen on his lips.

Muramasa smiled, this was more his son. "You were not paying attention in class, Kyo. Is anything the matter?"

Why does he have to be so observant? Kyo thought. "No, not really. It's just not every day you see that kind of hair." He smirked again.

Muramasa laughed and admitted that was true. They shared a few more comments and then Kyo departed, his classes done for the day. He lifted his book bag from the floor and turned to leave, only to run right into someone. The someone was tiny, compared to him, all he could see as he looked down was a shock of gold hair.

"I am so sorry!!" A voiced squeaked as the girl backed away. "I was looking for my sister and I did not see you!"

Kyo turned around to leave, without a word, then it hit him who had actually bumped into him. It was the blonde. He slowly turned back around, "Just make sure it doesn't happen again, Ugly." And with that he left.

Yuya stood speechless as she watched him walk away, too shocked to even respond. What was wrong with that jerk? She had said she was sorry! Suddenly she found herself in motion and traveling in the direction of the jerk. She caught up to him and grabbed his arm to spin him around, however, the second her hand touched him she found herself pinned against the wall by him.

"Let me go! " She snarled, temper in full rage now.

Kyo looked at her for a second. His action had been instinct, he did not like to be touched. His mind went through all the possibilities that could happen next, much to his horror one of those included a very passionate kiss with the blonde he was pinning to the wall. He immediately let her go with that thought, very disturbed that such a thing had even crossed his mind, and began to walk away. To say he was disturbed would have been an understatement.

Yuya was about to go after him when a voice stopped her. "Get in over your head again, dearie?"

She whirled to face her sister, who was smiling in amusement. "I did not! He was a total jerk!! You should have seen him! He called me 'ugly'!"

Suzaku shook her head. Yuya's temper was one of the reasons they were here, the Universities in their home region were warned of the firecracker known as Yuya Shiina. So, Suzaku decided somewhere farther away would be better for her sister, she had hoped to find someone to match her fiery sister, someone who could contain her. Maybe this Univeristy was a good choice, after all. She had never seen Yuya loose any kind of confrontation and the man with the red hair had just won hands down. <em>I think I will have to make his aquaintance soon</em>, she thought.</p>


	3. Hotaru's View

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are about to kick it up a notch. I've limited myself to 10 chapters...so time to move on. Chapters will get progressively more M rated as we go...

Classes were done for the day and there was still sunshine, in fact, it was quite nice out. Hotaru walked down the sidewalk heading in the direction of his apartment. He lived alone, it suited him. Kyo, Akria and Bon shared an apartment, Mahiro lived with someone too, some girls. Shinrei, oddly, shared an apartment with Tora. How that worked out he did not know, as the two could barely sand each other. I guess you'll do anything to save money, he idly thought. He reached his complex and looked around, he caught a glimpse of red hair as the door to the apartment next to his shut. His first thought was to wonder why Kyo was here, his next thought was to not care in the least.

Hotaru reached his door and stood there for a second, lazily searching for his key in the pocket of his jeans. The door next to his opened and out came something Hotaru was not prepared for. It was the red headed girl from earlier, clothed in what he could only assume was her underwear. His eyes looked over her lazily, he was not going to miss a chance to look at a nice body, but that was about as much effort as he was going to put into it. Suzaku looked at him briefly, arching one eyebrow, and then proceeded to check her mailbox...which was on the opposite wall. She was keenly aware of the blonde boy watching her, but she was not in the least bit disturbed. He looked to dead inside to actually make any kind of move on her. After briefly glancing at the mail, she turned around and to her surprise, he was gone. Funny, she hadn't felt him leave.

___________________

It took a total of 3 days for the seed of thought that was in Hotaru's mind to finally take form. When it did finally break the surface, he was sitting in a biology class. His eyes widened as the thought appeared and he realized what it was. He blinked a few times, looked around him to see if anyone had noticed his odd behavior. No one was paying him a bit of attention, as usual. His classmates has quickly come to realize that he was, what they termed "not all there". None of them realized that Hotaru was actually quite brilliant, he just didn't care about anything. Class ended and he got up and walked out and headed straight for the little garden behind the Arts building. He needed to talk to someone, and that someone was Akira.

He found Akira, as he knew he would, there with the others. He walked up to him and nudged him with his foot. Akira looked up at him and seeing the look on his face, sighed, Hotaru had been thinking. That was never good, at least it was never good for him. The two had grown up together, living next to each other as children, and for some reason they liked each other...even though Hotaru was a good 4 years older than Akira. The two had been almost inseparable for ages, Hotaru even refusing to join the University until Akira finished high school. Now they were both in their second year, both majoring in Biology.

Akira silently got up, dusted off his jeans and followed the blonde to a more secluded space. The others watched them, but none commented. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of Hotaru's bad temper. The boy could spit flames.

Akira waited several minutes before asking his friend what was on his mind in the nicest way he could, "Spill it, Fire-boy."

The corners of Hotaru's lips turned up in the barest of smiles at the nickname. He sighed and began, "I think I like that red headed chick."

"..." was Arkira's skillful response.

Hotaru looked at him, like he should have really gotten it. "Did you hear me? You know I don't like to repeat things."

"You like the red head? Ok. I am not seeing the problem." Akira said, trying to mentally beat himself for what he was going to ask next, "Have you talked to her?"

"No."

It was times like these when Akira was especially thankful that he had a large amount of patience. "Well, if you like her, why don't you talk to her? Get to know her? Ask her out?"

Hotaru considered this. He could certainly do those things, but it would mean expending an awful lot of energy...something he was really against. He stated this fact, and to his surprise Akira did not hit him. The platinum blonde simply continued the conversation.

_________________

Yuya walked up to her sister as she exited her class. She was ready for the day to be over. Basic courses were boring, she was ready for something more challenging. As if she could read her mind, Suzaku simply told her she would have to get through the basics before she began working on her major. This was true, but it didn't mean it wasn't boring. Yuya glanced at her sister again, they were now seated at the same table they had inhabited a few days ago in a small garden behind one of the buildings. Yuya wasn't sure which one it was, she wasn't sure she cared. Suzaku was studying over some notes from one of her classes and Yuya knew she would not respond to her, so she let her eyes wander. In doing so they fell on one of the cutest guys she had ever seen, he had platinum blonde hair and was wearing a pair of faded jeans with a blue t-shirt. His feet were bare at he moment, she noticed. She also noticed the person he was talking to.

"Hey, isn't that our neighbor?" She asked her sister, poking her for good measure.

Suzaku looked up and noticed Hotaru, "Yeah." She mumbled, she vaguely remembered her strange encounter with the boy a few days ago.

"His friend is really cute!" Yuya giggled. "I wonder what his name is?"

"It's Akira." A voice chimed in, and a girl with dark hair, that seemed to have a purple tint to it, sat down.

Suzaku looked up and smiled, "Hey, Mahiro." She introduced her sister to her new friend. A new friend she has plans to use to the best of her ability.

Suzaku had not been idle since the day Yuya had had the run in with the red haired man, she had been digging up any information she could about him and luckily, Marhiro was in one of her classes. She has introduced herself and the two had hit it off and before she knew what she was doing she was plotting with the dark haired girl about the best way to get her sister and the red head, who she now knew was named Kyo, together. She had decided that he was the perfect one to tame the little bomb that was Yuya. She let Yuya question Mahiro on Akira, and as planned Mahiro offered to introduce them. Yuya jumped at the offer and the two set off to catch up with the two blondes, who had by now rejoined the larger group in the middle of the garden.

_______________

"Hey." The almost dead, but yet intense voice reached Suzaku's ears. She looked up startled, she had not noticed anyone approaching her. Before her stood the neighbor boy, Hotaru. He lazily slid down into the seat opposite her and looked at her, waiting on her to reply.

"uh, hey..." She said, why was he here? "You're Hotaru? Aren't you?"

"um-hmm" was all the reply she got. She looked him over, he was strong, but seemed so....unattached.

"Did you want something?" She prompted, she was a little put off by his silence. He was the one intruding on her studying, after all.

"I wanted to know if you would like to go out with me tonight?" He asked her, eyes looking straight into hers, she thought she saw a flicker in them briefly.

That was unexpected. A date? With him? He acts like a block of wood, what fun could we possibly have? However, the words that came out of her mouth were not at all along those lines. "Sure, what did you have in mind?" Wait, what? Did she just say that? Her face took on an expression of confusion. Hotaru noticed.

"What do you like to do?" He asked evenly. "There's movies, restaurants, parks....beds..." The last word was spoken so low, she was not sure she had heard it correctly.

Beds? Did he just say beds? Suzaku shook her head, the longer he looked at her, the more confused she got. Why? She was no fool, she had dated, but never in her life had she met someone like this. His third sentence to her seemed to include the suggestion that they....she stopped that line of thought quickly.

"A movie would be nice." She said, watching him cautiously. 

He rose and did something that very nearly had her running in fear, he smiled at her before speaking. "I'll pick you up at 8." And with that he was gone and she was left wondering what the hell had just happened.


	4. Kyo's Annoyance/Hotaur's Date

Kyo glanced up as Mahiro sat down between him and Akira. Why was that girl with her? What did she think she was doing bringing her over her? He continued his unpleasant train of thought as Marhiro introduced everyone to Yuya. When she introduced him, he merely grunted. This had Yuya bristling, which Kyo thought was absolutely wonderful. This little blonde girl had been taking up too much space in his head as far as he was concerned. He had not been able to shake the sight of her pinned to the wall and he had barely been able to keep the fantasy of kissing her in said position at bay. He was thoroughly annoyed at the whole situation and now, here she was, a mere three feet away...and flirting with Akira. This was not going to end well for someone.

Yuya giggled again as Akira told a joke. He liked the girl, she was cute and happy. Those were both qualities he found endearing, but something was just missing. There was no spark there for him, though he could tell she wanted him. He sighed, he could definitely see being friends with her and having a lot of fun with her, but nothing more. He felt more than saw Kyo's shift in mood and he knew something bad was about to happen.

"So, Ugly, why are you over here annoying me by flirting with my followers?" Kyo drawled, Kyo never referred to his friends as 'friends', they were his followers. Kyo did not need attachments of any kind.

Akira felt a familiar feeling of dread as he looked between Yuya and Kyo. You could almost see the steam coming off the girl's head, while Kyo was calm and collected. Kyo never backed down from a challenge, and this girl seemed to be the same, but she had no idea what she was getting herself into. She was far too young and innocent to be tangling with the likes of Kyo. Akira decided to intervine.

"Yuya, would you like to go grab a milkshake with me?" He asked, jumping up from where he sat. He fervently hoped she would say yes.

He was not dissapointed, "I'd love to!" She chirped, however she then looked at Kyo and spoke scathingly, "At least some people around here have manners."

Akira grabbed her hand and darted away before Kyo could respond. He really did not feel like putting up with this today, not after his rather draining talk with Hotaru. However, he had noticed that Hotaru had gone and spoke with Suzaku and it seemed to have gone well. Which, all things considered, was surprising. Hotaru was not known for anything resembling tact. 

Milkshakes in hand, Yuya and Akira found a table outside the little snack shack and sat down. Akira found it down right amusing that the girl had ordered a cherry-vanilla shake, that was Kyo's favorite. A plan began to form in his head, he had no idea why, but this girl would be a great match for Kyo. Maybe he needed to get Mahiro in on this. His thoughts around this subject swirled in his head as they chatted and sipped milkshakes. Yes, Kyo needed a girl who had a temper. That would be the only thing to stop Kyo from crushing her, she had to be able to fight back.

\----------------

Back at his apartment, Kyo was fairly annoyed. Akira had snatched the girl away before he could really rile her up. Leave it to Mr. Nice to sweep the girl away at the first sign of trouble. Kyo looked around his room, adorned in mostly black and red and slightly messy, his eyes fell on the bed. His mind took off all on it's own, he could see her there, in his bed, golden hair resting on his pillow. Oh, what he would do to her....she would be...STOP!!! He put the brakes on that thought. Why was he thinking of that little girl? The sister was much more his type, more to his liking. He knew this, but he could not stop thinking about that little blonde annoyance. She was small, tiny. She had almost no curves, no boobs, no butt. Wait, his mind said, that's not true...she has a very nice rear. He shook his head, why was this happening to him? Again the image of her pinned to the wall came back to him. She had looked so shocked, but she had not cowered, she had spat venom back into his face. She was not afraid of him, he could see it in her eyes. 

Ah, there is was. She was not afraid. Most girls nearly fainted when he looked at them. This one did not. Kyo took a few more minutes to think this through before coming to a decision. He then stood from the window sill he had been sitting in and voiced his decision, "You will be mine, little girl, all mine."

\----------------------

Yuya answered the knock on the door only to find Hotaru standing there, looking very different from earlier in the day. Before his clothes had been loose, almost ill-fitting. A baggy pair of jeans and a faded orange t-shirt. Now, she wondered if this was the same guy. He stood there in a pair of tight black jeans, a form fitting white t-shirt hugging his torso, covered with a long sleeved black shirt that had an orange dragon down one side. She also noticed his piercings for the first time, his ears were full of rings and plugs. The over-all effect was down right...sexy. She cleared her throat, "Yes?"

"I'm here for Suzaku." He stated, as though she should have known this. His hands crept into the pockets of his jeans and he cocked his head a little, waiting for her response.

"She's in the shower." Yuya managed, she moved back from the door to let him in, "You can wait in here, if you like."

Hotaru stepped into the apartment and looked around as he made his way to the couch. He noticed the furniture was nice, but not new. The place was clean and orderly. He also noticed an easel in the corner, "You paint?" He asked as he sat down.

"My sister does."Yuya responded from the kitchen, where she had gone to retrieve her things. She had been about to leave when she heard the knock at the door. She walked back in the living room, "I have to leave now, but I'm sure you won't have to wait long." She said, and slipped out the door.

Hotaru closed his eyes. Alone in her apartment and she was in the shower. There were possibilities here. The apartment was identical to his, so he looked toward the small hallway where the bathroom was. The door opened and out stepped the girl, in nothing but a towel, her hair dripping down her back. She looked down the hall and spotted him, and almost squeaked. However, she caught herself just in time. She closed the towel a little more securely and proceeded to speak her mind.

"What are you doing here?" She asked flatly.

"Waiting on my date to get ready." Was Hotaru's response. He lifted himself from the couch and walked toward her. He seriously liked the fact that she did not back away. He reached her and eyed her steadily, eyes taking her in from head to toe. "You look very nice in nothing but a towel." He commented.

"I would look even better in clothes." She responded, somehow managing to sound normal. He was far too close to her. Her heart was pounding, she did not even know him and here she was in nothing but a towel with less than a foot separating them.

"I disagree." Came the low murmur from Hotaru as he lowered his head and sniffed her hair. "Mmmm...you smell like the ocean."

She had completely forgotten how to breathe. Did he just sniff her? Yes, he did. Yet, he had not laid a hand on her, and she had the strangest feeling that he would not do so until she made the first move. She dared to look into his eyes, they seemed to be on fire. They were a molten gold color, they were very beautiful. The craziest thought entered her mind and she valiantly tried to push it away, but it refused to go. Just touch him, it said, go on...do it.

"Where is my sister?" She managed to breathe, instead of acting on the thought. Hotaru noticed her hands were clutched tightly into the towel.

"She left." He said simply and continued to wait on her. He knew what he wanted, he was pretty sure what she wanted. Now it was just a matter of waiting to see if she would act on it or not. He noticed her fingers twitch again, and he smiled. "Why don't you just do it?" He asked.

Suzaku forced her gaze from his chest back up to his eyes, "Do what?" Was she shaking? Surely not. She thought she just might be loosing her mind, though.

Hotaru leaned down till his mouth was near her ear, his breath was hot as he spoke, "Do what you want to and touch me?"

He watched her hands twitch again and he knew he was right. However, he would not make a move until she did. He would not force her, she would have to make the choice on her own. He just wished she would hurry, he was absolutely dying to run his hands through that hair. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets to avoid doing so and continued to look at her. Her red hair was not the only thing unusual about her, her eyes were the color of fire. Orange and yellow, they looked like flames. He sighed, he absolutely loved fire.

Slowly he watched her hand move from the towel and gently come to rest on his chest. Her hand was hot, very hot. He waited, watching her patiently. She finally moved again, her hand exploring his chest. She was a little shocked, he was so slim, but his muscles were rock hard. Obviously there was more to him that she thought, to have muscles like this...he could not be what he appeared to be...muscles like this took work. He still had not removed his hands from his pockets, nor had he moved an inch since last speaking. She glanced up at him again, into those eyes and realized they were no longer dead, they burned. That was all it took, she dropped her hold on the towel completely and pressed herself to him, tilting her head up to his face.

It took less than a second for Hotaru to have his arms around her and his lips to hers. Good night, she was hot, temperature hot. Her body felt like she had a fever. He let his hands slide down her hair, it was soft, even though it was still wet. He brushed his tongue against her lips and she did not hesitate to open them for him, he deepened the kiss and felt her shiver. The towel that was still caught between them was tugged loose and thrown to the floor and Suzaku found herself pinned to the wall. She was absolutely terrified, not by him, but by her reactions. She should not be doing this, but she could not gain control of her senses. She couldn't stop herself as she felt her hands pull at his clothes. His mouth never left hers as he removed his shirts, how he managed that she did not know. All she did know was that his skin against her skin was the most wonderful thing she had ever felt.

She shuddered as she felt his breath against her ear, "Seems you've opted for 'bed' as our chosen activity for the evening." He whispered, "So, where would I find one?"

She almost moaned when his hands caressed her breasts, she managed to hold it in. Then it dawned on her what he had said, and it took her an entire 3 seconds to decide that was not going to stop this. "Last room on the left..." She breathed. 

She felt her feet leave the floor as he swept her up into his arms and followed her directions. He smiled when he saw her room, decorated in warm colors, much like his own. Her room reminded him of a sunset. He placed her on the bed and stood back to admire her, heavens, she was even more gorgeous than he had imagined. She lifted her hand and motioned from him to come to her, he promptly obeyed.

Suzaku had decided that if she was going to do this, she might as well do it right, and as he crawled up the bed and over her, she pulled him down and kissed him again. Her hands went to the belt at his waist, it was quickly undone as were the buttons of the jeans. She felt him spring forth from the undone buttons and brush her hand, and she couldn't help herself, she let her hand wrap around him. Hotaru did something very un-Hotaru like, he moaned. He couldn't help it, she was touching him and it was just too good. He impatiently kicked off the jeans and returned to kissing her, leaving a trail of fire down her body. He reached her navel and noticed her become stiff, so this is where she got uncomfortable. He could cure that. He slowed down, hands and mouth moving lazily over her skin, ever closer to his goal, but not quite touching it. 

Suzaku was not an innocent, however, her previous encounters had been nothing like this. He former boyfriend had been rough and she had suffered more than enough pain at his hands, both in bed and out. She almost shouted for Hotaru to stop when he had reached her lower abdomen, but for some reason, he slowed down, moving very slowly and very gently. It was enough to give her pause. He wasn't hurting her, in fact, he was driving her crazy, but that fear was in the back of her head. She felt his fingers move over her center and the fear over took her. "Stop. Please." The words were forced out of her mouth, dripping with fear.

Hotaru did as she asked immediately. Something was amiss here, what was it? He moved back up until his face hovered over hers, she refused to look at him, eyes tightly closed. She was biting her lip, like she was waiting for something. He touched her face, "Look at me." He said, voice low.

She cracked open her eyes, still biting her lip. He looked at her steadily and slowly kissed her lips until she was no longer chewing her lower lip in half. "What is it?" He asked her, "What's got you so afraid?"

She looked at him, something in her eyes he could not define, and finally spoke, "I...we...we just shouldn't be doing this. I barely know you!" Hotaru raised his eyebrows at the lie.

So, he was going to have to work on this mystery. He rested his forehead against hers, letting more of his body come in contact with hers. "Lies will get you no where, you know?" He sighed, and continued. "However, you are right. We do not know much about each other. Let's go see that movie and work on that problem, shall we?"

And just like that he was on his feet gathering his clothes and slipping back into them. He glanced around her room again and his eyes feel on a black dress hanging on the closet door, he walked over and retrieved it and handed it to her and quietly slipped out of the room to let her dress.


	5. Everybody's got a plan

Nearly a week had passed since Kyo had made his decision, however, the little girl had been hard to find. He had talked with the sister though, apparently the little one, as Kyo had taken to calling her in his mind, had come down with pnuemonia. Leave it to her to be so weak! So, he had spent a week plotting and planning on how he was going to proceed. Being Kyo, none of it involved actually being nice to the girl, no, Kyo's plan was to annoy the crap out of her until she was ready to break and then suddenly pounce on her. 

Suzaku, Mahiro and Akira had no been idle either. They had formed their own little alliance for getting Yuya and Kyo together, however their plan was considerably nicer than Kyo's. The University Theater League was about to put on a production of "Guys and Dolls", all three of the conspirators thought this would be perfect to put Kyo and Yuya together. They would all go as a group, but with a little trickery, Kyo and Yuya would end up side by side in the dark theater. The darkness would be the key, Kyo would never do anything if he thought someone would see him, so darkness was good. Yuya was less likely to cause a fuss in the theater as well, it would be very crowded. The three were convinced the plan could not miss. Dark theater, Kyo, Yuya, what could go wrong? Little did they know, everything could go wrong.

Hotaru had also spent the week in deep thought, making his own plans. The mystery of Suzaku was something he was determined to solve. He had run down many possible scenarios in his mind, none he really took to though. Shinrei and Akira had been annoyingly observant this week, commenting on how it seemed Hotaru was more alive than usual. Hotaru had spent a fair amount of time with Suzaku, but the time had been quiet. Each of them wrapped in their own thoughts and plans. For her part, Suzaku was trying very hard not to think about what had happened between them. She was very frustrated over all of it. She thought she had been totally past the fear. She had been away from that loser for over 2 years. She had not allowed one male to touch her in all that time either. Then here came this boy and totally swept her off her feet and then the whole fear thing had been resurrected. It had all be a nightmare for her.

However, she had to admit, Hotaru was being very nice to her. He had not touched her since that night, he had held her hand on their date, even played with her fingers a little during the movie, but nothing else. Not a hug, a kiss, not even a high five. They had spent time together, but he had been quiet and she had been scheming, so it was more like they occupied different ends of the couch at the same time than actually spent time together. She thought she might ask Akira to provide her with a little more insight into his person, if she worked up the nerve. 

All in all, in the week that had gone by nearly everyone of them had some kind of plan going. If everyone's plan worked out, there might be some happy people in the group. So as they headed into the weekend, they each prepared to put their plan into motion. If everything went as planned, Saturday night would be amazing. If it all went wrong, someone was going to end up in jail or the hospital, possibly both.

\---------------

Saturday came and with it came rain. Hotaru sat near his window and mourned the loss of the sun for the foreseeable future. He loved being warm and dry, fall and winter were hard for him. He sighed and picked up several oddly shaped bags and headed out the door. He had places to be today and being late was not an option. He took his car, something he rarely did. Rain ruined everything, he thought. He drove about 10 minutes south of the University to Professor Muramasa's house. Muramasa was not only a professor, but a very experienced martial artist. Hotaru, and most of the others in the group, had been under his teachings for many years.

Hotaru saw Akira's car as he pulled into the drive and right next to it one he did not recognize. He cocked his head to the side, wondering who it could be. He waited a few minutes for the rain to slack off and then hurried to the dojo at the back of the house. He quickly ducked in as the rain began to pour down in earnest. He was still shaking his hair when Akira tackled him. He rolled, taking Akira with him and the fight was on. They scuffled across the floor, wrestling with each other for several minutes before they were interupted.

"Boys." Came Muramasa's gentle voice, he was smiling kindly. Behind him stood Kyo, a long sword leaning against his shoulder. And next to Kyo were...Suzaku and Yuya???? Hotaru was still trying to work out why the two girls were here when Akira whacked him over the head again.

"Ow." He mumbled. He thought he heard Suzaku giggle.

"That's enough, both of you. Get ready, training will begin in 10 minutes. Suzaku will be joining us from now on, gentlemen." Muramasa announced and then he turned to talk with Yuya.

Kyo walked over to Akira and Hotaru, he looked a little annoyed. Neither of them said anything about it though. Hotaru did not want to get sliced in half, Akira was just plain amused over it. He had seen Kyo's reaction when the girls had shown up, he had been sitting on the porch meditating before training. He watched as Kyo watched every move Yuya made, no one else would have noticed it, but Akira knew what to look for, he had trained with Kyo for so long that Kyo's fascination was obvious to him. This was just perfect, Kyo was interested! And he was being forced to be nice to her since they were in Muramasa's home. Tonight should go perfectly, Akira smiled at the thought.

10 minutes later the four were paired off with one another, Kyo and Hotaru, Akira and Suzaku. Suzaku wielded a medium length blade, it was quite beautiful. The blade was black, the hilt wrapped in purple and black with long streamers of purple flowing from it. Akira wondered at this, what purpose did they serve? Yes, it made for a very pretty sword, but surely it would get in the way. Oh, how wrong he was. Suzaku charged him, sword raised, he dodged easily and blocked her with one of his twin blades. They were evenly matched for quite some time, then she twirled away and those ribbons began to dance in the wind she created. Akira made the mistake of watching the streamers as they swirled through the air for a moment, and that was when he found a sword to his throat.

"Suzaku is the victor." Muramasa announced calmly.

The blade left his neck and Akira turned around to face his opponent. She was grinning like a a Cheshire cat. He bowed to her and she to him and then they went and sat on the edge of the mat while Hotaru and Kyo finished sparring. It was not long before Kyo had a victory of his own and the two joined them for a small rest. The rest of the training session was spent on kata's and strengthening. Yuya sitting quietly on the sidelines watching Kyo the entire time. She never took her eyes from him, he was amazing. She had never seen anyone that good with a sword and she had always thought her sister the best. There were a few times when Kyo's eyes caught hers, but she never seemed able to look away from him.

Kyo had spent a very stressful 3 hours at the dojo, having her there was a huge distraction for him. Why in the world had his father agreed to take on Suzaku as a student? More importantly, why was the little one there with her? She was not training. He had heard her say so himself. She was skilled in basic martial arts, but she preferred a gun to a sword. She would continue to train with her sister privately and Muramasa had told her of a good range to practice her marksmanship. That little girl owned a gun? This thought amused Kyo greatly. He thought her too little to even hold one up. And then there was the fact that she watched him the entire time, he had checked and not once had her eyes left him. Kyo grinned inwardly at this. Perhaps she was interested, this would make his plan so much easier and ever so much more fun.

Training had been over for almost half an hour, Hotaru and Akria long gone. Muramasa was having some sort of meeting with Suzaku in his study, which left him with Yuya. He grinned. She was sitting on the front porch, in the swing, simply watching the rain and Kyo was going to take advantage of her being alone and there being no one to watch him. He grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and headed out the door.

Yuya looked up as the door opened, but only Kyo came out. He walked over and sat beside her on the swing, he held out a cold bottle of water to her. She looked curiously at him and slowly took it, she sipped it silently as she watched him. 

"How long has your sister studied sword technique?" He asked, watching her closely.

She shrugged, "A long time, since our parents died." She replied, she did not entirely trust a nice Kyo. He had only ever been mean to her, even though she had not been around him much. "How come you're still here?"

"Muramasa is my father." Kyo responded, "We usually spend this time meditating."

Yuya snorted before she could think, "Sorry. You just don't look like the meditating type." She explained when Kyo shot her a quizzical look.

He grinned at her, "And what type do I look like?" His voice was low, almost silky.

Yuya shifted a little, seeming uncomfortable with something. Kyo waited patiently. "Well, you look like a ....demon." She finally spat out, thinking that she was probably going to regret being truthful.

Kyo grinned even more, he scooted next to her and draped his arm along the back of the swing behind her. He watched from the corner of his eye as she squirmed a little. "A demon? Moi? I've never so much as harmed a puppy." He stated in a saintly voice. He saw her smile at his tone. Somewhere in his mind, a part of him was screaming at him to continue with the original plan of annoying her, but right now he just couldn't be bothered with it. His arm slid off the back of the swing to land lightly across her shoulders. She jumped a little.

What is he doing? Yuya was fairly frozen in place. He was acting nice. He must be sick, she realized. She turned to look at him, to confirm whether or not the man was ill and found that his face was far closer to hers than she had expected. She jumped back a little. She felt his rumble of a quiet chuckle at her action.

"Something wrong, little one?" He asked, voice husky. He moved his hand from her shoulder to brush the side of her neck. He was not disappointed in her reactions. First her eyes closed, then they snapped back open and she opened her mouth.

"What do you think you are doing?" She snapped, removing his hand from her neck. She gave him a slightly angry look.

Kyo laughed quietly, she was such a little firecracker. She would have killed a lesser man for what he had just done, he was sure of it. "I'm simply enjoying your company." His hand moved back to her neck again.

"Well, you may enjoy my company from a little farther away." Yuya stated and rose from the swing to move to another chair.

Kyo grabbed her waist and pulled her down onto his lap, grinning. "I would rather enjoy your company like this." And before she could say anything, he kissed her.

Both Kyo and Yuya's minds were screaming that they stop this foolishness at once. Kyo's mind screaming that he was not some romantic sissy and Yuya's screaming that a jerk was kissing her and she was letting him. Neither of them paid any attention to it however. Kyo kept the kiss brief and sweet, despite his mind telling him to man up. He was well aware that this was not like him at all, but a small part of his mind reasoned that no one was here to see it so no one would ever know.

Yuya looked at him cautiously, she decided (as she usually did) that the direct approach was best. "Why are you being nice to me?"

Kyo thought about it before he answered, "I'm not sure, but don't worry, I'm sure I'll torture you again soon." His grin became wicked. "However, since I am being such a very nice person at the moment, don't you think I deserve a reward?" As he said this, his hand moved up under Yuya's shirt grazing the skin of her sides. 

Yuya stopped his hands, "You are a pervert." She stated factually. Kyo responded my leaning in and kissing her neck, which made her forget to keep her hold on his hands, which ended with him cupping her breasts and her hands in his hair.

"I am very much a pervert," Kyo confirmed as his tongue tasted her skin, "And I intend to show you how every perverted I can be." However, he then placed her beside him on the swing and resumed drinking his water. Yuya was thoroughly perplexed, until she heard her sister's voice.

"Thank you, Professor Muramasa. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend." Suzaku said as she stepped out onto the porch. She glance around and her eyes landed on the pair in the swing. She did not miss that her sister looked a little ruffled...


	6. Beginnings of Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skipping some time in this chapter...I may go back and fill in at a later date...but for now...nothing really exciting happens other than what is summarized in the beginning of this chapter.

It was December 1st. Suzaku was shocked that this term had gone by so quickly, there were many things she had been shocked by this term. She turned as she heard Yuya shuffling through the apartment, she was definitely a nice person to not point out how horrible her sister's hair looked. Yuya, wrapped securely in a fluffy robe, sat down at the little kitchen table and propped her head on her hand, eyes still bleary.

"Coffee." She mumbled before she gave up on holding her head up and it hit the table with a thud. "I need some coffee."

Suzaku somehow managed not to laugh and retrieved the blonde a cup of coffee. She sat it in front of her and waited to see if she would move again without being prodded. There was no movement forthcoming so she poked Yuya in the head with a butter knife. Nothing. She squinted her eyes, contemplated the consequences of her next action, decided to go with it and smacked her sister soundly on the tip of her elbow.

Yuya's head shot up so fast she nearly lost her seating, "Ow!!! What was that for??"

"I got your coffee and you didn't move...so I was seeing if I needed to call the coroner to come and retrieve your dead body." The red head replied sweetly, buttering her bagle with her previous weapon.

Yuya was still rubbing her elbow, "These stinking exams are going to be the end of me. Who cares who won what war, with what weapon, on what day and what they had for lunch on noon of the 20th in that given month..." She grumbled, she picked up her mug and sipped her coffee.

Suzaku had to agree with her, she had been feeling the same way. In fact, most of the students on campus were feeling that way. However, it would all be over in a week. Finals would be over, winter vacation would begin. The glorious thought of 3 entire weeks with no school work was very, very nice. Suzaku had resumed her mussings as Yuya had lapsed into silence while trying to stay awake enough to actually drink the coffee.

So much had happened, she mussed. She and Hotaru were officially an item, as were Kyo and Yuya. Her group of friends had grown to include all of Hotaru and Kyo's friends as well as those she had made on her own. She had even broke down one rainy evening and answered Hotaru's questions on her past and since doing so had seen a side of him that Akira had informed her had never been seen by anyone before. He cuddled her, held her hand, did all manner of sweet and adorable things to and with her, some even in public; but he had not once laid a hand on her like he had the first night. He did not push her, he didn't even hint that it was on his mind. He seemed perfectly content to cuddle his life away with her and for that she was grateful. She still couldn't completely make sense of her feelings for him. She wanted to be near him all the time and felt lonely without him, but 'love' was a word that was difficult, almost everyone she had ever loved was gone now. She had her sister and her friends now, that was it. What if she loved him, would he disappear too?

She turned her mind from it's disturbing path and onto her sister. Kyo and Yuya's relationship was odd, to say the least. Kyo annoyed the hell out of Yuya, on purpose and in front of as many people as he could just so he could see her explode at him, or so it seemed to Suzaku. However, she had seen them alone and in those times Kyo was a rival for Hotaru in the cuddle department, though in public Kyo and Yuya rarely touched...unless Yuya was hitting him. Suzaku shook her head, they were both such stubborn fools that they would not let the outside world see that they had a heart. Even so, she was certain the others saw the changes in Kyo that she did, but no one mentioned it...ever. 

Training with Kyo, Akira and Hotaru had been fun and Muramasa was an excellent teacher. Kyo had taught her several new moves, and Muramasa had given her tomes of good advice. She almost felt he was like the father she had been forced to grow up without, she almost felt happy with that entire dynamic. Almost, there was always a little bit of guilt and sadness in all of it for her. A small part of her mind always asked if she was betraying her parents with the emotion she felt for Muramasa and she had no way to answer it. Akira, as it turned out, was also a great friend. He listen to her little rants, he was fun to goof off with and he didn't seem to mind her attitude. She supposed that next to Kyo, she was a ray of sunshine. 

"Wha er you doin today?" Yuya slurred out, face once more planted on the table.

"Studying, what else? How about you?" She replied. She got up and put her plate in the sink instead of whacking her sister again, she really was a nice sister she realized. She had only smacked her twice that morning, and anyone else would have smacked Yuya at least five times.

Yuya lifted her head from the table and yawned. "Yes, I'll be doing that too." And with that she shuffled off to begin another day of studying for finals.

\------------------

Hotaru, Kyo, AKira and Bon sat in the campus cafe, each with mugs of coffee and tons of papers and books in front of them. Every so often someone would shift a book and upset the delicate balance and everything would have to be readjusted, then the quiet would resume again. Hotaru and Akira had only 2 finals left, where as the others had 3 or 4, so they were feeling decidedly lucky. Tomorrow they would be free of school for the holidays, it would be a nice change of pace.

"Argh...Hotaru, quit dripping coffee on my notes!" Akira snarled as he wiped little dots of coffee away for what seemed like the millionth time.

Hotaru merely grunted and drained his mug. "There...no more coffee. Happy?"

"Exceedingly...do you know what the answer is for number 15?" Akira asked, he was flipping pages in a biology book like a mad man. "I can find it and I've looked a dozen times at least!"

Hotaru consulted his notes, looking very focused. "It's 54 species of whatever that is I've written here..." He turned the paper upside down in an attempt to read his writing...to no avail, and so the day continued for all parties concerned.

_____________________________

December 8th dawned with silence, no alarms clocks went off, no phones rang. Everyone slept peacefully having finished all their exams. Those who were going home for the holidays had departed over the weekend, leaving the campus and surrounding apartments quiet and feeling somewhat lonely. Suzaku and Yuya had no where to go, so they stayed put, as had Hotaru and Akira. Bon, Mahiro, Shinrei and Tora had all gone home to visit with family. Kyo didn't have to go anywhere, seeing as his father lived right down the road, however there were rumors of a visit from his twin, Kyoshiro and his wife, Sakuya.


	7. A lazy holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With finals over, our little group is relaxing...until...enter Kyoshiro to annoy our beloved Kyo!

Suzaku rolled over, still buried in her covers. She was having the strangest dream, Hotaru was singing and he was a bird. She rolled over again trying to remove the feathery vision, it blurred but the voice continued, in fact it got louder. She slowly opened one eye...darkness...she moved the covers down a bit...ah...there was the light, a bit blurry, but light none the less. She looked up a bit at the person she finally realized was sitting beside her, recognized said person as her boyfriend and started to sink back under the covers. Then she stopped and popped back up, mostly awake this time.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, trying to tame the mess of hair on her head that seemed totally determined to stick out in every direction no matter how hard she tried to tame it.

Hotaru laughed at her attempts, "Yuya let me in...just leave the hair, it's kind of cute." He said, taking her hands and holding them, "In a "I just stuck my finger in a light socket" kind of way."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Thank you, I think."  She rubbed her eyes and stretched.  "What time is it?"

"Three." Came the quiet response, followed by humming.

Suzaku rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up.  She has slept until three in the afternoon, that must have been a record for her.  She felt like asking what year it was, but decided to forgo it as Hotaru had gone to stare out the window.  She padded over to him, yawning the entire way, and hugged him.  He returned her hug and kissed the top of her head.  They stood like that for a few minutes more before she announced her plans for a shower and moved toward the bathroom.

Hotaru made his way to the kitchen and poked around until he found a coke, he then retreated to the couch to wait for his girlfriend.  His mind was mostly relaxed and empty, not having finals made for a wonderful feeling.  It then occurred to him that this whole adventure had started with him sitting in this exact spot several months ago.  Since that time he had been studying the mystery that was Suzaku and he thought he had her almost solved, as solved as one could say of a woman at any rate.  He also realized how much he had changed in that time, he actually thought more, he spoke aloud more, as Akira once put it, he no longer looked like a zombie.  This woman made him want to live, she made him want all kinds of things he had never wanted before.  He had even gotten her a gift for Christmas and was eager to see her open it.  He wondered momentarily how much one person could do all this to him, he chalked it up to love.  Yes, he did love her.  He had never voiced it though, because though she seemed content with him, she had never hinted at love.  He wondered if he should be worried about that, but at that moment the shower door opened and she stepped out in just a towel and he was again taken back to the first night of this whole affair.

Suzaku caught sight of Hotaru out of the corner of her eye as she stepped out of the bathroom, she turned to look at him as he rose from the couch and a feeling of deja vu swept over her.  He stopped in the same place he had the night of their first date, leaning on the wall in exactly the same way.  

"You still look good in a towel." He stated, a slight smile on his lips.  He leaned in to sniff her hair.  "And you still smell like the ocean."

She found herself reaching out to lay her hand on his chest just as she had done that night.  Her heart sped up as her hand rested over his heartbeat.  His heart was racing, she glanced up to his face and sure enough, his eyes were like fire.  He still stood perfectly still though, waiting for her.  He always waited for her, she realized.  She could drop her hand and walk away right now and he would go back to the couch and wait on her tonight.  The realization was a bit much for her and she bit her lip, she didn't want to think of what would happen when he got tired of waiting.  She didn't want to think of her life if he got tired of waiting on her and walked away.  How long would he wait?  How long was too long to make up your mind about what you were going to do?  She had been having all of these thoughts for weeks now, but it seemed that they were all flying though her head at top speed right now.  Why couldn't she take the next step?  What was wrong with her, she was going to blow this whole thing if she couldn't get her issues under control, she was sure of it.  She would loose him, forever.

"Just let go."  

She snapped her eyes back to his, "What?"  Her voice sounded broken to her, it was barely a whisper.

"Just let go."  He repeated, "Stop trying to analyze everything and just let go."

It sounded so simple, just let go and see what happened.  Could she do that?  Could she risk that much of her heart?  What if he left?  What if he died?  What if...

"Fuck it."  She kissed him.

In less than a second she was pinned against the wall, towel gone.  Hotaru's arms holding her tight as his mouth slanted over hers, his tongue brushed against her lips urgently.  Her lips parted and she met his tongue with her own as his hands moved across her body.  Her hands clutched at his shoulders, slid into his hair.  His mouth left hers and traveled to her neck, kissing and biting, while his hands moved lower ghosting over her breasts.  Her breath hitched as his thumbs circled her nipples.  His mouth quickly replaced his hands and she moaned.  He hands pulled at his shirt urgently, desperate to feel his skin.  He quickly discarded it and kissed her again.  Her hands traced his abs making him moan and break the searing kiss.  She made short work of his belt and the buttons of his jeans, eager to feel him.  The more skin she felt under her hands the more she needed, she couldn't get enough of him.  Finally his jeans were discarded and he hands were on him, moving over him.

"God" He moaned as she stroked him faster, "You make me burn."

His left hand stroked her hip, his will power to wait leaving him fast.  "Let me touch you."

He was still waiting on her, even in this fire he still waited.  In that moment she finally found a bit of peace within her mind.  Her hand moved from his hair to take his hand at her hip and slowly move it to where she was dying for him to touch her.  "Oh, God...touch me"  she moaned, her other hand still moving over him.  He did not disappoint, his fingers gently massaged her, sliding over her slick entrance again and again.  His mouth trailed kissed over her neck and shoulders, his fingers moving more firmly over her. 

"Hotaru"  His name left her lips as a moan and any self control he had remaining left.  His hand worked her quicker, pressing into her more and more until he couldn't stand it any longer and sank two of his fingers in her hot depths.  He pumped them into her again and again, her moans growing louder, her hand stroking him faltering from the pleasure.  He couldn't take any more, he had to have her now.  He lifted her quickly and carried her back to her bed, there he let her fall back into the covers.  He didn't give her a chance to breathe as he parted her thighs and rammed into her.

"Oh, God!!"  Her near scream nearly sent him over the edge.  How could any human be that hot and wet?  How was that even possible?  He pulled out and rammed into her again, drawing out another near scream.

Suzaku's body was on fire. Had anything ever felt this good?  She was pretty sure the answer was no.  As Hotaru rammed into her again and again all she could do was hold on and feel, and it felt amazing.  Every slide of skin against skin sparked more flames, everywhere his lips touched and especially where they were joined.  Her nails raked down his back and he growled, "Hell yes."

"More" She begged him and he again did not disappoint as he upped the pace making her back arch and forcing moan after moan from her.  She could feel every inch of him as he filled her, the friction almost painfully good.

Hotaru shifted and his hand slid down her body to reach between them and give her clit a harsh tweak, she screamed and he grinned.  "Come for me, Suzaku." He whispered as he did it again and again, his thrusts never slowing.

She came apart, her world exploding with pleasure as he never slowed, he kept on, forcing a second orgasm more powerful than the first.  "Again."  He commanded, still not slowing and she obeyed, her world exploding for a mind numbingly third time in a row.  Her screams, now hoarse, never stopping.  Hotaru could feel himself getting close, so close and as her body clamped around him yet again he followed her into bliss, groaning into her neck as he came inside her.

Suzaku opened her eyes sometime later, it was dark out and Hotaru still slept soundly on top of her.  Her first thought was that she did not remember going to sleep, but that judging from their positions she guessed it wasn't so much sleep but more of a passed out kind of thing.  She tried to think and found that she just couldn't.  Her brain could not conjure one thing, the only thing it could grasp was that she needed more sleep.  So, instead of fighting it, she gave in and closed her eyes.  


	8. Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Suzaku survive a holiday with Kyo and compay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to pick this up and finish in a few chapters.

The small card sat on the living room table, laying innocently on top of the envelope it had arrived in.  Suzaku stared at it hatefully and refused to look at her sister.  Yuya, one foot tapping angrily, tried again to reason with her.  "I am dating him, sister, eventually we will have to go to a family gathering."  She said this with all the calm she could muster, which honestly wasn't much.  The arrival of a formal invitation to spend Christmas day with Kyo and his family had not been welcomed by Suzaku, who was still having issues with the guilt she felt about being happy with her life now.  The arrival of the small card had brought it straight to the front of her mind, where is stared at her in an annoyingly obsessive way.  The fact that she had not shared these feelings with anyone made the situation even worse because now Yuya was mad because she thought she was just being difficult.

They had been arguing in circles for nearly an hour, Yuya demanding a real reason for Suzaku's staunch refusal to go.  The younger of the two women had been moving on with her life far faster than her older sister, Suzaku figured it was because Yuya didn't remember as much as she did.  Then again, maybe it was just because she was completely messed up and needed therapy, yeah, that was probably it.

 

TBC


End file.
